Former Tennessee ballplayer Griffin Merritt will have a split suitcase when he arrives in town for the Knoxville Regional this weekend.
On Sunday night, Tennessee was revealed as one of the 16 host sites for the regional round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. On Monday, the NCAA announced that Tennessee’s group will consist of 2-seed Wake Forest, 3-seed Cincinnati, and 4-seed Miami (OH).
“Well, looks like my weekend will now be happening in Knoxville with a split suitcase,” Merritt posted to X after the reveal on Monday, along with a pair of orange and red emojis.
Merritt’s post refers to his split allegiances for the weekend. He spent four seasons at Cincinnati before playing with Tennessee for one season in 2023. The former Vol was with the Bearcats from 2019 to 2022 and played in 154 games for the Cincinnati program before making the decision to join Tony Vitello’s Tennessee team for his final season of college baseball in 2023.
Well, looks like my weekend will now be happening in Knoxville with a split suitcase 🟠🔴
— Griffin Merritt (@G_Merritt10) May 26, 2025
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In 61 games with Tennessee, Merritt hit .311 with 18 home runs and 48 RBIs. He was also at the center of some major postseason moments for the Vols, including a clutch two-hit game to clinch the Clemson Regional, a four-for-five showing against Southern Miss with Tennessee facing elimination in the Hattiesburg Super, and scoring the go-ahead run in Tennessee’s elimination game victory over Stanford in the 2023 College World Series.
As previously mentioned, Merritt played with Cincinnati for four seasons. After his senior year, though, Merritt was contemplating leaving college baseball behind to pursue a professional career, but nothing manifested in initial conversations. While he could have returned to Cincinnati, a place where he was personally content, he wanted something more. He wanted a chance to play in the College World Series.
“I want to go somewhere and win,” Merritt told Rocky Top Insider’s Ryan Schumpert in an interview from June 2023. “I loved my time at Cincinnati and wouldn’t trade it for the world. But I wanted to win at the highest level.”
Merritt was strong in his appreciation for his time at Cincinnati despite his transfer to Tennessee. Even looking at things today, two years after his career at Tennessee ended, his profile picture on X is him in a Tennessee uniform, while his cover photo on the site is him with his Cincinnati teammates.
After five memorable seasons split between two teams, Merritt will watch his two former teams battle it out in a four-team mini-tournament with a spot in the Super Regional round on the line.
Tennessee will begin its weekend against Miami (OH) while Cincinnati starts its campaign against Wake Forest. We’ll see if the stars align for a potential All-Merritt meeting later in the weekend with the former Vol/Bearcat in attendance.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for complete coverage of the Knoxville Regional this weekend on Rocky Top.
For more on Merritt’s journey to Knoxville before the 2023 season, check out Schumpert’s article here.
